BATON ROUGE, La.– Entering its 19th year, the Louisiana Young Readers’ Choice (LYRC) Awards Program is excited to announce the 2019-2020 nominated title lists for grades 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. Every year tens of thousands of students from elementary to high school age vote on their favorite book from a list of titles curated by librarians serving on LYRC committees from across the state. Many students cast their ballot on real voting machines supplied by the Secretary of State’s Voter Outreach Division.

“The Louisiana Readers’ Choice Awards is just one of many phenomenal programs offered through the State Library which inspires a love of reading among the young people of our state,” said Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser, adding “the value of literacy and programs that encourage an interest in books cannot be overstated.”

The 2019-2020 nominated title list includes award winning authors such as Newbery Medal recipient Katherine Applegate; Newbery Honor Award, Coretta Scott King Award, and Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction recipient Rita Williams-Garcia;William C. Morris Award winner Jeff Zentner; recipient of the John Newbery Medal, Edgar Award for Best Young Adult, Michael L. Printz Award, and a National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature, Jason Reynolds; Jane Addams Children's Book Awards for Book for Older Children nominee,Mitali Perkins; and winner of the 2017-2018 Louisiana Young Reader’s Choice award for grades 6-8, Svetlana Chmakova, to only name a few. From fiction to nonfiction, picture books to novels, science fiction to romance, historical to contemporary, these carefully chosen booklists cover a variety of interests and genres, so there is something for every reader.

“The titles on these lists are selected by professional school and public librarians from across the state with decades of experience working with children and children’s literature,” said State Librarian Rebecca Hamilton. “The nominated titles represent a variety of interests and viewpoints, but what unites the titles is that they are high interest: these are books that kids will love and which will inspire them to keep reading, which is a key part of our mission here at the State Library.”

The Louisiana Readers’ Choice is a reading enrichment program of the Louisiana Center for the Book, housed in the State Library of Louisiana. Its mission is to foster a love of reading in the children of Louisiana by motivating them to participate in the recognition of outstanding books. According to a 2017 Kids Count report, only 56% of Louisiana’s fourth graders are reading above the basic level, and even fewer reading at a proficient level. Louisiana is tied for third highest in the country in the number of teens not in school and not high school graduates. This is 25% higher than the national average. The Louisiana Center for the Book and the State Library of Louisiana believe fostering a lifelong love of reading among Louisianans will contribute to the state’s overall economic growth and quality of life.